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Tuesday 22 November 2011

Alan Carr Live- Spexy Beast


So on Sunday 6th November i went to see the legend that is Mr Alan Carr! Being one of my favourite comedians, i was ECSTATIC when my cousin called me up last December to say she had booked her and i tickets to go see Alan Carr Live...the only downfall was that we had to wait nearly a year to see him. I assure you the wait was worth every second...Alan Carr did what he does best on stage and boy did he put on a show! Had a great night (despite it being Eid day and not spending it with the family) and cannot wait to see him again! Here are a few pics from the night,,,



Ellister X

The not-so-great Sigma brushes- Make me Crazy brush set

*Hides behind her mums saree*...*then realises it's translucent* DAMN!

Ok ok, i'm sorry...you didn't hear me? I'M SORRRRRYYYYY!!!! Gosh, i know it's been a very long while that i have neglected my blog, but need not to worry, i am here and back to entertain y'all :)

Back in September a friend of mine bought me the Sigma 'Make me Crazy' brush set which i was ECSTATIC about (they knew how much i rambled on about them on Twitter!). When i opened the box and saw the purple case, my heart skipped a beat, my hands trembled for a while and my legs turned into jelly...by the time i saw the actual brushes i collapsed on the floor and was gasping for breath...ok ok so maybe it wasn't that bad but you get how excited i was right?! From the moment i stroked the blusher brush (F40) on my hand, all my worries were long gone and i instantly knew it was love at first sight!!!



However, there was a really strong smell of chemicals from the brushes which i found quite bizarre. I've purchased brushes from other brands before and have never experienced this. The brush set came with a little card which advised that the brushes need to be cleaned before using them, which i did, but the smell was still present, although it wasn't as strong as when i first got them. Have any of you experienced this?



The next day my brushes were dry and ready to use.I thought i'd go ahead and use the F50 (large stipple brush) to apply my foundation...to my horror i was left with a face with more brush hairs than foundation! After pinching myself a millions times with the tweezers trying to get the annoying little hairs off my face, i used the large powder brush (F30) to apply some powder to my face. Again, i had the same problem as the F50 with the hair fallout.

The blusher brush (F40) had gone bigger in size since washing it even though i left it in the plastic case to ensure it goes back to its original shape. It could now be used as a powder brush which i was extremely unhappy about...

The only brush i was pretty impressed with and use frequently is the free brush that came with the set (i think its the E55) which is an amazing eyeshadow blending brush...well that's what i use it for anyway!

Another con of the Make me Crazy set is that you have to be VERY careful closing the case because once i closed it but it had caught the hairs of some of the brushes and ruined them. I thought the case/ box idea was great as i would be able to put a few of my other brushes in it and it'll be a great make-up holder/ portable brush holder but unfortunately it's not so versatile.

So there you have it, my post on the Sigma brushes. I would love to hear your views on it!

I find it hard to believe that all those girls on Youtube and with blogs who have done posts/ videos on these brushes and have deemed them as 'holy grail brushes' have been pretty biased or not entirely truthful...after all most of them recieve these for free as part of promotion so they are inclined to always say something positive about the product.

Anyway, this is my opinion and experience of using Sigma brushes but like i said, i would love to hear from you guys so please leave your comments below.

Mucho love,

Ellister X

Friday 13 May 2011

Bobbi Brown long-wear eyeshadow- Antique gold

Hello my long lost beautiful followers :)

Apologies for the lack of blogging recently...i know i always apologise for not posting much but i've been really busy recently doing some overtime at work and other commitments.

Anyway, i was shopping last week in House of Fraser (Westfield) and decided to head to the Bobbi Brown counter...as you would. My eyes fixated on the long-wear eyeshadows i've been eye-ing up online for quite some time so i decided to swatch some on my hand. I had about 9 different swatches but my eyes were fixed on one particular pot called Black pearl. Unfortunately they didn't have anymore in stock so i opted for Antique gold. Its very similar to a Barry M dazzle dust pot i got...
Anyway, i wore it today and it looked really good :) Can't wait to get Black pearl....
Priced at £16.50/ £17 (can't remember) it is a little expensive but nonetheless worth it. I wouldn't go as far as buying the whole collection but will invest in a few when i'm feeling a lil generous and don't mind spalshing out on myself :)






(Excuse my dryyyy hands!)

Toodle peep,

Ellister X

Tuesday 19 April 2011

Oh i forgot to mention another thing about my project...

One more thing about my project....

I have been accepted to receive funding from the lovely people at O2! They not only provide funding but workshops and on-going support too so a MASSIVE THANK YOU to these guys!

That is all...

Ellister X

Roll up roll up...news on my project :) 'Chasing Paper Dreams'

My darlings,

My sincere apologies for neglecting you all for so long...whilst i've been letting my leg hairs grow (metaphor for me being incredibly lazy people!), i have also been busy with work, meeting up with friends, spending time with the family, etc.

I've been meaning to tell you all about my project i'm hoping to set up soon (Insha'Allah). It's been an idea of mine and has been lurking in the pipeline for quite some time now but as things seem to be finally progressing, i thought i'd take this opportunity to tell you a bit about it :)

What is Chasing Paper Dreams about?

Chasing Paper Dreams aims to target the pastoral needs of young women and provide a support network which enables them to fully access the education systems and all it has to offer and consequently realise their true potential.The project seeks to provide a nurturing environment in which they feel safe to dream; building self-esteem, aspirations and self awareness.

It operates at a school level, a voluntary organisation which young women can sign up to for an initial 12 week period. Chasing paper dreams provides weekly hour-long workshops which target perceived barriers to achievement, giving young women realistic and practical ways in which to overcome these in their own lives.

The content of later workshops is determined solely by the desires and needs of the young women involved, thus providing a truly individualised support network in a homogenous world, through which they may realise their dreams and ambitions however 'paper fragile' they may perceive these to be.

Why/ How did the idea for Chasing Paper Dreams become established?

Serveral reasons contributed towards this project. These are:

1) In light of recent Government spending cuts, the education system in this country (UK) is currently facing a massive reconstructuring of its funding, the magnitude of which has not been seen for many years. As a direct result, Children's Services Teams have been significantly downsized in the vast majority of boroughs across London and England. Countless more organisations providing invaluable services to young people have lost funding and are being forced to close altogether. The impact of this in schools has yet to be fully realised but one thing is certain; that the workload of schools and teachers will continue to increase in quantity and diversity.
The danger with this is that this, coupled with the evergrowing emphasis on academic achievement and exam results will mean that current levels of pastoral care in schools are less sustainable and the priority will shift to systems which directly target the raising of attainment levels. This represents a great concern for me as it is my strongly held belief that unless the pastoral and emotional needs of a young person are met, they will find it incredibly difficult to achieve, academically or otherwise.

2) My own experiences of the education system and growing up, as well as research conducted for my dissertation highlights the importance of services which target the pastoral needs of young people and provide a support network which enables them to fully access the education system and all it has to offer and consequently realise their true potential.

3) The emotional/ psychological needs and well-being of young people are often misunderstood, misrepresented or in many cases ignored completely. I believe the needs of young people should always be met and Chasing Paper Dreams aims to do just that. The importance of having dreams and aspirations will constantly be reinforced within the project as these are the foundations in which a young person is able to utilise to build a brighter future.

What will be the content of the workshops?

The main aim of the workshops will be to establish aspirations/ dreams the young women may have. The first 3-4 workshops will entail team building actitivities and discussions regarding social issues faced  by young people. This will enable the young women to build their self-esteem/ confidence, form new friendships/ trust between themselves and other members and learn invaluable life skills which they will be able to implement and utilise during their life course. Individual personal development plans will be made and this will feed into later workshops.

So there we have it people, you heard it here first. If you have any ideas or suggestions/ feedback for the project, please do comment below or drop me an email at chasingpaperdreams@hotmail.co.uk.

Ellister X

P.S Props to my soul sister Aisha for the on-going love and support...and of course with the name of the project! Mucho love to you sis x

Thursday 31 March 2011

Ladies...this is the 'talent' we are subjected to :(

Ladies...this is the 'talent' we are subjected to' :(

Hello m'darlings,


So yesterday my sister and i thought we'd have a browse through the shaadi.com website...just for laughs (don't be getting no ideas now!) and BOY DID WE HAVE FITS OF LAUGHTER OR WHAT!!!


So let me break it down to you ladies, this is what the UK has for us in terms of their most eligible bachelors...according to shaadi.com of couse. You don't mind if i use a few examples do you?! Of course i will keep the names annonymous and this is purely for humour purposes :) Oh and these are all British born Bangladeshi lads by the way...but i'm sure the same 'type' of guys are prominent in other communities...


1)
i'm very simple. i'm very quite boy. i like read islamic book. i m muslim

A bit too simple i think. I can imagine his wife saying "Shall we go out for dinner?" and him replying "No, it ok i read book". Another lad with similar interests to this guy:

I am not that much outgoing, sorry abt that. i prefer to pass my free time staying home, i dont like too much crowed, i dont want to share my problems with anybody without exception, there are few people who can understand me and my feelings. I like every beautiful creation of God, i fond of beauty. I like healthy music no matter what kind of it. I like driving, chatting, spending good time with family. I dont like watching sports channel all the day, i dont like when people do lie for nothing. The kind of person i am looking for who is pretty, simple, not moody, who is dreamful, funny, can adjust with all situation, thinks about future, looks royal, prasentable, has a clean and soft heart. she would be flexible and ready to travel to my country at any time, as my profession would be a lawyer and i want to practise in both country, she better have the pleasure to stay in a mix environment like Bangladesh and England, hope we will have fun.

He wants to be a lawyer yet he is not outgoing and doesn't like crowds? That's like me saying i want to be a child psychologist...but i don't like kids!


2)
IM A SIMPLE MAN AND AM LOKING FOR SIMPLE GIRL 4 ME, HU WILL LOVE ME, CARE ABOUT ME, I LOVE MY FAMILY ND I WANT SOMONE WHO WILL LOVE MY FAMILLY, IF ANYBODY SIRIUS ABOUT MERRIGE THEN THEY CAN CONTRAC ME NO WEASTIN TIME

Der's nuffink mre anoyin dan reciving a txt msg lyk dis! I cannot stand people who write like this. I'm not being all high and mighty but it really annoys me to see so many spelling and grammatical errors in one sentance...its partly down to my (very minor form of) OCD too.


3)
Im a british asain (Bengali) in this vigilant society, im a young entrepeneaur currently own two businesses so im working very hard to make something of myself one day, im a kind caring person, would go out of my way to please someone special, always laughing and joking, im slim build not that tall but tall enough, live in essex near lakeside. i don't really know what else to say about myself i think thats enough about me, lets talk about you! Lol

Again, another bachelor with with a lack of flare and education it seems. I have NOTHING against someone who does not have vast amounts of educational qualifications but darling if you're going to write 'vigilant society'  and 'entrepeneur', know the meaning and the context in which these words are to be used...certainly not applicable for a shaadi.com profile! He's 24 by the way and to be a young entrepeneur only signifies that he is probably a college dropout and taking care of his father's restaurants...not really Gordan Ramsey now are we?! And do you remember how our teachers would always give us prompts throughout exams about checking our work and reading over our work again and again and again...clearly this lad chose not to listen to his teachers!


4)
Hello My names *******......... I have joined this website to meet different women, for friendship and further if we get along well. So a bit about me.... Id like to think that im a very nice and kind person with a good sense of humour which goes a long way. I always like to enjoy my self as life is short and enjoy to the full, i go out with my friends on a regular basis as i dont have any family over here there the closest thing i have. Im not a person who likes staying in, im someone whos not scared trying different things and going on an adventure... you could say im a bit wild..... So if you like the sound of me then just request me. Chow Chow

Chow chow? My 2 year old nephew doesn't even say that when he leaves our house! and a bit wild? Reminds me of Alex Reid and his alter-ego (that woman he likes dressing up as). Oh gosh, if my parents ever married me off to someone like this i...i...i honestly don't know what i'd do. He wouldn't be home half the time anyway, he'd be out with his friends and enjoying life to the fullest as life is too short. Indeed it is...with someone like him!


5)
i am ****** *****. i have boned in bangladesh. i am simple, quite, gantle. i like to fun. i want same to me.Boned?

Oh gosh, doesn't sound too good does it?! There's nothing worse than a British born Bangladeshi girl marrying a guy like this, how would they communicate? Unless her Bengali was impeccable of course....oh and if she didn't mind a 'simple, quite, GANTLE' guy...sounds oh-so appealing doesn't he?!


6)
hi, im new to this so be gentle. im always working or im working out. Difficult to find someone. im looking for someone with looks aswell as a brain. i need to be able to talk to her when we are old. dont know what else to write, to find out more holla back

This guy sounds too busy to commit to marriage...sounds like he's married to work and the gym! He's obviously looking for a drop dead gorgeous model who has completed her degree, Masters and currently doing her PhD...from what i know, Bengali girls are generally under 5ft4 and not a lot of them go on to further their studies after graduating....sorry mate, good luck in finding that needle in the haystack though! I for one will not be ‘hollering’ at you anytime soon…


7)
i am very easy going person can able to cope with a hard situation, i am very caring and also very lovable person

Blaitently copied the 'cope with a hard situation' line from his CV! With a mere 1 line and 3 words, you're not doing yourself any justice mate. Bor-ring!


8)
Decent and Gentle! Neva done Clubbing, neva smoke, Neva drink !! Outgoing, Social and More Like Friendly ! Try to be honest and neva try to lie but sometimes it happens without any reason. I look young and people never believe me am 24 like. No one can guess my age, only my parents, friends and relatives know about it. I respect the family values and it is always important to me cause from a good and educated family can give a wise and educated nation which is good for our nation and culture. I am scared of allah and i belive holy quran and Mohammad (sm) Our prohet. But i can't prove it cause i don't pray 5 times which is more important. But i know one day it will happnen as i belive in allah and islam. Personally am very romantic and emotional. I would give my life anytime if someone realy loves me. In this age i learnt my responsibilities and ma parents and relative calls me matured person. I belive in reality most, dream can be true but its not wise to have luxarious dream. !! I got my limits and i got a future plan and i move forward according to this. I can make you laugh when your upset, i can calm you down if your hot temperd, when you are emotional i can wipe your tears. Im Looking for someone who realy cares, respect family values, honest and atleast scared of allah. Anyone welcome but all i want from you is love and you will get back more than you wanted i can assure you! Im not interested in arranged marraige, its kind of weird to me. I would like to know the person im going to marry in near future ! If you don't wanna have a relationship then you can be friend with me anytime!! You never know anyone can help you in any day. Last. No time wasters please!! Treat everyone with politeness, Even those who are rude to you..... Not because they are not nice, But bcoz u are nice.... !!! Goodluck Everyone !!

Hahahaha, this is funny...yet i feel to bring my violin out because i can tell he finds it diffcult expressing himself in words! My minor levels of OCD are exceeding it's limits with this one...


9)
hello, i\'m a muslim. I have black hair, dark brown eyes, I work in a restaurant as a waiter. i\'m fun to be with.................... and very attracting...

Oh dear, i can assure you ladies he wasn't 'attracting'. Black  hair, dark brown eyes...then he tells me he's a waiter at a restaurant. I'm a girl who is extermely passionate about all that i do, i have many aspirations and dreams i wish to pursue and to be with someone like this will kill all of that.


10)
wats good everyone? my names hassan, i was married before, i have 3kids 1 boi and 2 gyals, and i am on the search for my ideal Mrs who has to be about the age of 21 to 24, short and petite, has to be stunning that is a must, sexy body, sexy eyes, Bengali, funny some one that will make me laff, some one i can trust and relay on, some one that is lovable, and who is respectful and will get on with my family as i have a big family. Anyways back to me not bragging but i am a good looking guy, who has a fun and successful future planned ahead, so whoever the lucky girl is will have a fun and luxury life with me, i already have my own house which i am renting out currently, i also have 2 family businesses and have plans to open more in the future. People describe me as being down to earth and funny, that don't mean i cant be serious because i am at the right times, i don't let know one walk all over me or take me for a fool, so be aware no time wasters please, as you will get booed off!! Anyways in my spare time i enjoy going to the gym, going out with my mates, taking family out to eat, so don't worry about getting married and being bored at home, because my family are chilling and would not expect you to be stuck home, and i for sure would not allow that as i would be taking my Mrs out everywhere, bare holidays :). so that's a brief description about me, anyone that likes the sound of me and wants to know more then holla at me peace!!

This just screams BAGGAGEEE! Here we have our 'ghetto boy', the one that would salute his inlaws with 'wats good fam?' instead of salaam. There's nothing more annoying and sad than having to put up with a guy who talks to you like you're one of his boys for the rest of your life.


So there we have it ladies, this is the poole of the UK's most eligable Bangladeshi bachelors. Spoilt for choice won't you agree? From this, we have learnt:
a) That finding our soul mate may be harder than we think
b) There are a lot of BORING Bengali guys
c) If we don't end up with a boring, quiet or 'gantle' bengali guy...we'll probably end up with a wild rude boy with some baggage
d) I probably sound like a total cow for doing this post, but hand on heart it was for humour purposes only.


Who's your type then?


Ellister X

17 make-up haul...and a bit of Jessie Jizzle :)

Ola m'lovlies,

*que music*


Okay, firstly i thought i'd start off with some music from Jessie J. I was never really a big fan of hers after Do it like a dude but when i was watching an acoustic set she was doing for 4Music, i definitely saw her in an absolutely different light. She actually has a beautiful voice and her songs are those that you can definitely relate to. 'Who you are' was one of those songs i knew i can have on repeat and not get bored, i absolutely love it! What do you think? Thoughts on Jessie J?

Anyway, to my recent purchases...I went to see a friend yesterday and on my way home i decided to stop off at Boots. Obviously i marched up to the make up section first (as you do) and had a little browse through everything. My hand ended up like a child's hand (one that had found a stash of colouring pens and thought they were Banksy!) with all the make up testing and then my eyes drew to the 3 for 2 offer (naturally of course...hey i'm Asian!) at the 17 makeup section. I found a little space on my hand and tested some of the lip liners. I liked two of the colours (Valentine and Rose Blush) so i picked those up then my eyes drew to the blushers. Now i always have this thing about 'cheap' blushers, i  always think that they won't be good or in any way pigmented so i always avoid them. But i thought i'd give this particular one a try (China Pink).


So today my dear mother dragged me out of bed to go shopping, which meant i only had 5mins to do my make up and 5mins to get ready and do my hijab. I used the 17 blusher and surprisingly i really liked it. It gave me a natural looking pink colour to my cheeks and was pigmented enough. Compared to other blushers that i have which are mega pigmented and end up making me look like a clown and also tends to be kinda blotchy when applied, this was was pretty good. I think the original price was £3.49 which i think is pretty decent...compared to what i pay for some blushers from more 'high end' make up brands. So this will definitely be a keeper!

As for the lip liners, they were also good. One is a softer pink (Top; Rose blush- almost nude which a touch of pink) whilst the other (Valentine) is more pink but not a vibrant pink as such...excuse the lack of make up jargon, i'm not exactly a pro just a love for make up! You can use these as a base for your lipstick or wear it plain...if you wear it plain you can even add a bit of gloss if you wish!

Overall, i was happy with my purchases. Have you guys used any 17 products? Which are your fave...or least fave?

Hope you've enjoyed reading this post :)

Adios...

Ellister X